Pharmacy Owners Agree to $100M Settlement Following Meningitis Outbreak
The pharmacy whose evident negligence played a major role in causing a meningitis outbreak last year has preliminarily agreed to setting up a $100 million fund for the victims of the meningitis outbreak.
The negligent company, the New England Compounding Center, dispersed steroid injections throughout the United States last year and it was eventually determined that the widespread meningitis outbreak was linked to the steroid injections that came from the New England Compounding Center, a Massachusetts-based company.
The meningitis outbreak did not simply cause a need for individuals to see a doctor; according to a report by the CDC, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been more than 700 reported illnesses and 64 reported deaths across 20 states that have been blamed on the steroid injections.
We should note that the company, while it has agreed to establish a $100 million fund for the victims, continues to deny liability or wrongdoing, which begs the question of why they would hand over $100 million to solve a problem they did not cause. The company, maintaining its lack of liability, claims that it simply wants to help those who suffered from the “tragic outbreak.”
This seems to be a trend among large companies whose customers or neighbors tragically, as if magically, suffer damages due to actions linked with the company; the companies, still fighting the blame for the problems, spend hundreds of millions of dollars to make the issues go away.
For example, BP, though it has shelled-out hundreds of millions of dollars to victims continues to deny that the company acted in a grossly negligent manner; Carnival Cruise Lines, while it has paid out money to its wronged customers continues to claim that the company is not at fault for its cruise ship losing power and leaving hundreds of passengers stranded; and now the New England Compounding Center establishes a trust for its victims while maintaining its innocence.
The compensation of victims of negligent business practices is commendable, but it does not excuse the companies shrugging off the blame and claiming that they are not liable for their actions, because such an attitude cements the idea that companies are not responsible when their products of services injure others; the fact of the matter is, according to the law, companies are responsible when individuals are hurt due to negligent design, manufacturing or marketing of a company’s product or services.
At the Law offices of Aronberg, Aronberg & Green, we have years of experience in personal injury law, fighting for victims of negligent individuals and negligent corporations alike. There is no negligent party too miniscule or too mammoth to render irrelevant the law that protects you against the negligence of others.
If you have suffered a loss due to the wrongdoing or negligence of another individual or a company, please reach out to us and see how we can help. To schedule a free consultation, call 561-266-9191 or email us at daronberg@aronberglaw.com.
